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en·ta·moe·ba

(ĕn′tə-mēbə)

n. pl. en·ta·moe·bas or en·ta·moe·bae (-bē)

Any of several parasitic amoebas of the genus Entamoeba, especially E. histolytica, causing dysentery and ulceration of the colon and liver.

[New Latin Entamoeba, genus name : ENT(O)- + AMOEBA.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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